


Until Hell Freezes Over

by xuhei



Series: Jvedarah [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: F/M, I think there's smut too?, i cant remember - Freeform, just that it's war n stuff, prince yixing is my muse, royal au, there isn't that much in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 10:52:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15970835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xuhei/pseuds/xuhei
Summary: Yixing nods once. He takes note of the way you address him so formally and deems it unnecessary. They are equal. “I would prefer if you called me by my name, not my title. Yixing is okay. Can I use your name?”“My name?” You ask. You frown and Yixing and rests a hand on your hip. “I must admit to you, Yixing, that where I am from we do not use names. I've never been given one. My purpose was not to have a name, alas I would only be called by my brother and he called me sister. That is all.”“Would you mind if I gave you a name?” Yixing asks you; his voice is soft as to not try to give his authority away in tone. He does not want to make you feel like you must do as he says – he would rather make you want to do it. A smile falls on his lips when you nod at his question, your own lips’ corners bent upwards at the sides. Yixing thinks for a moment, humming in thought until he finds the perfect name – in his opinion, anyway.





	Until Hell Freezes Over

**Author's Note:**

> apparently this is one of my best fics but I never rated it tbh. lemme know if you agree and I'll write more like this

Zhang Yixing is a commander. He has worked his way up to the top by sheer force of will; hard work, perseverance and dedication. To his country, to his job and to his people, Zhang Yixing gives everything. He knows when his father has passed on to the heavens he’ll be able to take over this country and lead it to better places than any of the other Zhang dynasty have. His father, his grandfather and the generations before have tried by always failed to keep up with the rest of Daohrjin, but Yixing was determined to transform his beloved homeland into a commercial masterpiece. 

There was always two problems with that though. The first being that this spoken of homeland, Muucar being its name decided upon by the first Rah of whom Zhang Yixing descended from, was an eleven equivalent of a wasteland. The sky was clear and the paths neared elegant flowers with striking leaves of purple and violet, yet everyone knew one thing about the traditional island that stood of the coast of two of the last remaining four eleven run countries.

It was far from liberal, and the acting King of the most powerful country left of the land of the Feidnrah made sure that all of his adjoining countries upheld the respectful views. Wu Yifan, self-declared Highest King of the entirety of Daohrjin due to his excellence in cultural studies and language abilities, hated the sight of the purple hue that shone over Muucar. In their attempts to please the King, all of the people joined this hatred of this eleven wasteland. Thus the people of Muucar – Yixing’s people – hated the people from the mainland straight back. Simple as. 

There was also the issue of Zhang Yixing himself. A hero to some but a villain to others, it really depended which tavern you went for your gossip as to which side of him you'd see. Some say Prince Yixing had slayed a dragon in Isli Xuubyi but others say he stole money from the poor on the shores of the isle of half-breeds. Zhang Yixing had never even been to Xuubyi so he wasn't sure where that story came, but he imagines it's from someone he'd been to school with that didn't like the fact he was…different. 

Muucar had a school but his father did not want him to go there. The school located on the heart of Muucar’s busiest town Adelyi taught the arcane arts and witchcraft, something that Zhang Yixing was interested in deeply. But it was not advantageous, he can recall his father saying one day, Prince Yixing must have knowledge of the world around him – how to fight and how to win battles. He learnt this in the school which had the most influence on battle command, all the way over in Haveghem. He went to school with the now crowned prince of Haveghem who might have seemed like a nice boy but surely would have used anything against Yixing which he could to secure more power. After all, their father's had taught them that taking advantage of the weak was the way forward. 

“They found some foreigners lurking around the back gates to the Keep,” the guard to Yixing’s left tells him. Usually Minghao would be here but an uprising in the west had left Yixing’s closest ally patched up in hospital and put on official leave by order of the King himself. The young boy followed closely in Yixing’s footsteps and this could either be a blessing or a curse. “Some may just be merchants but we had to be sure. News from the coast tells us that soldiers from Renami have been sending out more boats that usual.”

Yixing can picture holding a knife to that bastard Huang Zitao’s throat the next time he sees the boy. Just because Zitao was taller did not mean that his family had priority over Zhang household. They'd both agreed to stay away from each other just until they were both Kings as to eliminate the strain on their parents. King Huang was getting older now as was Yixing’s father. They'd both not survive another brutal war across the seas. 

“More boats could mean a lot of things,” Yixing tells his friend. He'd rather trust that Zitao has started another war with a different country and is attempting the approach of just sneaking up on his enemies. Huang Zitao was a cunning master of stealth, he'd used that to his advantage. 

The guard nods once and bows his head, stopping right in the middle of the row of cells they're currently standing in. Minghao keeps his head down to the ground, refusing to look up to his senior for one reason that Yixing even knew himself. The boy was scared of the supposedly ruthless warrior that conquered anything he touched – so they say. 

So Yixing looks around, deterring away from scaring his younger. A few of the prisoners catch his eye, some wearing a little too much gold to be employed by Huang to infiltrate the Zhangs. It was more than likely that they were all merchants, but Yixing will appreciate the precaution that follows with protecting his elderly father. “Are any of them being held for questioning?”

“Two. A man and a woman, both are Rah. They had no possessions on them and neither seem to have any intention on being here, that's why we suspected the Renami attack. It would make sense for the Huangs to send another group of prisoners our way, even if not to bring down the house,” Minghao alerts Yixing. 

“They haven't spoken?” Yixing asks. He becomes slightly weary of whom they could belong. None of the other eleven states would be so vile as to attack an elderly King, just Zitao. But Zitao’s men were powerful and they knew what they wanted, they weren't clueless and prisoners. “What are their names?”

Minghao apologetically shakes his head to deny an answer. “They cannot tell us. The man has been held under water four times and each time he speaks in a tongue we cannot recognise, repeating the same phrase over and over. The female just stares at one spot like she is observing something. We can't get anything from them, it's impossible.”

“We do not surrender to impossible,” Yixing states. He finds his hand drifting to his pocket to check that his dagger is at reach before he speaks too soon. He'd heard of foolish men who don't prepare and think that the unusual ones aren't a threat. “I'd like to see them. I believe that I may have a clue to where they’ve come from.”

It's a lie, but Yixing will take his chances to see these people. He might be paranoid but he does not want people to think he's weak and he’ll eliminate the threat of an assassin even if it meant lying to his closest asset, for say. He knows that it would be a risk to have anyone in the capital who could possibly be a threat to his father. A silent one was always a threat to him. 

His presence is felt near and far, so the second that the prison guards bow to him and open the doors to the rarely used interrogation room Yixing expects the prisoner to be on their knees bowing to him for forgiveness. But they're not. The prisoner sits in the chair and stares into the corner of their room like Zenahya herself is standing in the room dictating what to do. 

Yixing is perplexed. He does not expect this and he does not know how to react. People _knew_ him, they didn't question him when he was standing right before him and yet this _prisoner_ dared to act like he meant nothing. He wants to draw his sword but he's reminded of the things people say of him. He acts too fast. He shows no mercy. Zhang Yixing is not meant to be King of Muucar. 

"Prisoner," Yixing starts, releasing his grip on the sword he's so close to drawing, taking pity on the surely mindless soul before him. He should pray, he thinks; he should leave this prisoner and go to his room and pray that they will be healed. He is shocked by the innocence that can be portrayed by just one person. “You don't bow to me and still expect to be released?”

You do not move. It's an awkward moment in Zhang Yixing’s reign because he can usually make people fall to his feet with just one word. You still stare at the wall opposite and Yixing may be hallucinating but he's sure that you do not blink. He does not know what to say. 

"Answer the prince!" The torturer in the room says. He rushes forward with what Yixing assumes is a hot metal rod and swings it into your arm with a huff, clearly frustrated by the lack of respect paid to the commander, to the _Prince of Muucar_. Yixing should be angry but he only flinches when the hiss of your skin is heard through the room at contact with the burning object. 

“Where are you from?” Yixing asks. He takes a step forward and stretches an arm out to you, one which everyone had kept their hushed whispers lingering about – they didn't think he should be wasting your time on her. Yet he felt a compelling sense that there was no danger. 

“ _Dal_ _ika_ ,” you answer. You look to Yixing and he’s almost scarred by the simple catch of eyes. He fears nothing but the way you look, searching his soul for _something_ is aching to him. He does not even understand what you say to him. “ _Dal ika_ _!_ _Dapmochu_ , _shamu, sha min!”_

Yixing notices the way his guards look as though they are witnessing Zenphyro before them, taking his steps as a human again. They're scared. Yixing should take control but he hasn't a _clue_ on how to react. He's dealt with people who speak other languages that he didn't know but for some reason, he _understood_. “Far away?”

“ _Zhang Yixing_ _zualjeec_ _Zen_ ,” you answer. It's Eleven, Yixing is sure, but much more ancient that the tongue he speaks. Even Prince Byun would fail to understand this, despite his knowledge of the history of his kind. “ _Quua_.”

 _King_. He's sure that means King, it was a term used across the entirety of Daohrjin when the Kings would have to be sworn in. He couldn't connect anything but he still knew what you were saying in some way. “I can help you if you tell me what you are here for.”

No answer. You just look to Yixing with wide eyes as though he's a precious gem which you have set your eyes on. He wants to look away but _can't._ It's impossible to dare look at anything other than you and _those eyes_ and _you._  

“Who sent you?” Yixing asks. He tries to take a different approach, knowing that his language was either incomprehensible to your or just far too complex. He can use his skills of the world. People aren't dragons but they are so much harder to defeat than dragons because they don't think the _same_ as him. “ _Tcho_?” 

Your lips open at his response. He recites something from an ancient book he'd picked up in Qucim courtesy of the musical Prince Chanyeol; a praise book to the goddess Zenahya written in the oldest of tongues known the southern Rah of Daohrjin. Tcho; _whom_. It was the best he could do in his stuttered thoughts, but you seem to understand him in a similar way to how he understood you. 

“ _Zenahya zualjeec tcho_.”

*~*~*~* 

Zhang Yixing wakes up that night feeling sick down to the bottom of his stomach. He wants to know who you are but a doctor is convinced you are suffering hysteria. They say the man is your husband but Zhang Yixing knows better than that - you are not a married woman who’s gone crazy after losing a child. You and the man are not a pair whose minds were possessed by witches. You are not hysteric. 

The doctor said the language you spoke was made up but Yixing couldn't agree. He was in half minds to have the court’s doctor – his _father’s_ doctor – thrown from his position for this foolery. Yixing understood you and you most definitely understood him. He couldn't sleep because of it. He couldn't even touch his father’s prepared food because he knew he would just be sick straight after. 

 _Zenahya zualjeec tcho_. It was something divine. Zenahya was not mentioned in speech by Rah who respected the religions of the land unless their speech itself was devoted to her – could you have been a follower in some kind of cult? Zenahya did not have cults, the power she reflected was only pure and growing. A cult was decimated to the unfavoured, the _god_ of death and maladaptive actions. 

Minyurta was the only one with cults dedicated to his name, and Yixing knew a worshiper of the evil within like the back of his own hand. Others countries may have been lenient to the persecuted cults related to Minyurta but King Zhang was not. The Zhang dynasty did not promote death. It did not like the idea of using people or witchcraft or anything to do with negative energy. Yixing’s first mission was to destroy all that he could find that related to Minyurta in the blissful countryside of Muucar. 

 _Zhang Yixing zualjeec Zen._ To Rah, _Zen_ referred solely to the holy kind. Hence the names Zenahya and Zenphyro — before Zenphyro was chosen to rise to the heavens he was simply Phyro. But he had not heard of this word _zualjeec_ though he knew it would make him feel stupid when he actually realised what it was. The black ceiling staring back down at him mocked him for not knowing the world. 

Meanwhile, the black ceiling mocked your for not being able to communicate. You were silent, you didn't speak unless you were speaking to Zhang Yixing because you knew that was what you were meant to do. A promise that he would save her, save _them_ was a lie it seemed but you would not give up. Your kind were in trouble and it was horrifying to you, yet your wish to help was almost impossible. “Iziah?” You call, your voice soft but not understood by any of these guards around here. They still believe that you are talking nonsensical words that mean nothing. They're stupid, you think, because none of them clocked on to the fact that your male friend’s name is _Iziah. “_ Are you here?”

The guard opposite shifts at your words. He's not happy that you are talking anyway, so given that he can't understand it means he's even more agitated. Your display with Prince Zhang Yixing didn't make things for your better, but you hoped he understood. “You, prisoner. Don't talk in here.”

“Please let me talk to the Prince,” you say. It's not a beg, you save your begs for when they are desperately needed. But still, your tongue is unrecognised by the stupid men of Muucar around here and you are left to awkwardly stare at the guard as if _he_ is the piece of meat. 

How dare they not know the language of their descendants? How would they be translating their queen goddess without knowledge of the ancient language that was made for all to communicate. Now they all spoke their own languages and none was the one you spoke, along with all the Zen in the world. 

“Aish, do you ever shut up?” The guard asks, rolling his eyes at you as he picks up his own equivalent of the poker the torturer used earlier. You had come into this environment thinking a punishment like this, like having red hot metal burning your skin, was just a myth. Something that was created to scare people in books. 

You brace yourself for the impact of this metal on your skin. It's painful but you have endured worse; getting here was worse than anything else you had endured in this world alone. It's hard for you to accept that your mission might fail so soon. Your mind tells you that you’ll catch an infection with all these burns that go untreated and the poor sanitation in this place. 

But there’s no impact. All you hear is the clink of heavy metal on another and your head flicks up to see the eyes of the person you want so desperately. Prince Zhang Yixing. He's standing there emotionless with the sword he almost drew to you earlier, no protecting you from what could happen because of the ignorance of these men. 

“What are you doing?” He asks. His voice is sharp like his sword – the very sword which is just stopping the hot metal from hitting you again. He's shielding you with a weapon you had only seen used for violence yet feels safe next to him. It's contradictory but it makes sense to you. 

“Commander Yixing, we’ve been put under instruction to stop her from communicating with the other male,” the guard tells the Prince. “None of what she has said makes sense to us. We asked a tutor for the younger princes to help us but nothing. _She_ does not make sense to us.”

“I'm asking you for help!” You exclaims, grabbing the bars with your hands and shaking them just a little. For effect, you think, that's what they do on the stage around here. It must work in some way, because Yixing looks down to you and frowns. 

 _“S_ _hamu_? She is just asking for help. Can't you understand that?” Yixing questions. You breathe a sigh of relief for his comprehension and bow your head in a similar fashion to what many others had been doing when they spoke with someone above them. Though you can't see his reaction, you hope that he will actually help you in the end. “Do you really thinking that burning an innocent woman is the way to get your point across?”

The guard, much to your pleasure, stands down. He lowers the metal so delicately whilst glancing down at you like you are the scum that makes this world disgusting. How little does he know. But you are not angry, you expected this treatment from the people here and you fully expected Zhang Yixing to stop it – everything you thought would come true _is_ coming true. So you bow your head again, mumbling in his language for once. “Thank you, Zhang Yixing.”

He does not answer, instead prying the keys off of the guard that stands watch with confusion as to your sudden development in communication. They thought you were stupid but he does not; it's the only reason he spared you earlier. That’s the only confirmation that he might actually be _the_ Zhang Yixing you wanted. Waiting any longer would be disastrous, you needed _this_ Zhang Yixing. 

“I'm taking her to see a doctor,” Zhang Yixing tells the guard, pushing the key into the lock without hesitation. 

“But Commander, we can call the court doctor to help her,” the guard argues. He even tries to place his hand on Yixing’s arm but you see the side of the Prince that the guard saw and understands why he went against it. “We cannot risk the lives of the people of Muucar by having her on the streets!”

Zhang Yixing shakes his head at the guard, pulling open the cage door as he does so. His ill decorated hand that is usually covered with gold and silvers from the depths of caves in Neinrya is as bare as your own red and suffering keeping. He offers it to her, a joining to be one. “The only threat to the people of _my_ Sovereign is those who injure the weak and powerless because they are _different._ Fetch the next guard on shift and tell him that he’ll be covering your shift from now on. I don't want to see you in this place again, return to your family soldier.”

There are pleas from the soldier show his humanity but Zhang Yixing does not correspond. He looks down to you and waits for you to take his hand – which you do, albeit with precaution for what could happen. You know that Zhang Yixing has a quick temper just like his father, so angering him is about as lethal as stepping on a rune. 

“I won't hurt you,” Yixing tells you. He helps you to your feet, and though you stand shorter than him he treats you as though they are the very same. Yixing lifts your arm ever so gently to observe your wounds and sighs at the treatment you have received. “I'm going to help you, okay? My friend, he’s a doctor. Just north of here, it's not too far. I'll take you there.”

“Iziah?” You ask. You wouldn't leave without your brother, he got your here of course. He's the one who fought off the thieves and cultists whilst you both travelled from the West. It was not fair for him to be kept in such an evil place like this. 

“I'll bring him tomorrow. It's too dangerous for the two of you to be travelling together, especially with me,” Yixing tells you. 

It's not a lie. You have seen how in certain places people would attempt to take the Prince’s life. They either loved him or hated him and there was no in between. He'd show some mercy to some, for their parents had brought them up to hate the monarchy just as he'd been brought up to hate the foreigners. But one time an arrow pierced his leg and the Prince was not pleased. 

You do not say another word though, instead letting him lead you away from your first experience of the land which some called promised. He was the only good she'd found in Muucar, spare an old Rah who offered some bread to you and your brother when you had trekked all the way to Adelyi. 

And though your hand is clasped in his and you can feel the nervousness through his clammy palms, you still manage to say a prayer of thanks for him; for Zhang Yixing. He will help your and he will fulfil what you had come here for. It was what was _meant_ to happen.

*~*~*~* 

Doctor Xiao is woken by a loud knocking at his door. At first he sees no need to open his door; the people know that he does not take guests after sunset and it was the middle of the night now. The moon was just past its highest point in the sky and he was not happy. The Ash moon that presented itself outside was not something he wanted to see too often. 

Fortunately he remembers something quite quickly about the one person he'd told to come here whenever he needed help. The Prince, the one who helped him in his training and went to him for help with any injuries. Zhang Yixing had offered him a position as court doctor but Xiao had denied on the premise that he wished to aid the citizens of Muucar alone. 

“Prince Zhang,” he greets. Xiao bows at Yixing and steps back to allow the prince inside, but is ultimately surprised to see a woman following him in. Your features are unknown to him, but Yixing acts as though the pair of you are inseparable. Xiao blames the Ash moon. Love spells were always meant to be at a peak around this time. 

“I need your help,” Yixing states. He looks over to you on his right and sinks his lips into his teeth ever so slightly, letting your hand be released from his own as you both meet eyes. “She has severe burns that must be treated, and she must stay here for a while. It's not safe in Adelyi.”

A hesitant nod comes from Xiao, eyes wandering to your arms which are sore looking, covered with specs of blood which makes his stomach uneasy. How you still stood as if nothing was wrong had Xiao questioning where you had come from. Not from Muucar, not from Daohrjin even. The Feidnrah seemed a bit different to you too, so Xuubyi could be the last place but they rarely left their own shores. 

“What is your name?” Xiao asks. He wishes to bring a little more humanity into the conversation because you are at this point is merely an object that the two men are discussing. 

"N-Name?" You asks. Yixing looks to your as if he’s surprised to hear your words but he does not speak. Your slightly estranged way of speaking makes Xiao sure you are from far away from here, possibly the other side of the Feidnrah region. “ _Mu zualju_ _tic_ _. Min! Coico!_ ”

Xiao frowns. When he turns back to Yixing, the Prince is just staring at you trying to work out what you just said but the doctor knows where it's from. The exact words are unknown but he thinks Yixing might have a clue to what the words are. “Where did you find someone that still speaks Rahinyo? The last of the scholars died out before the two of us were born.”

 _"_ She and another male were arrested outside the keep. We don't know where they came from, but you must help her,” Yixing insists. He brings a small pouch from his pockets and offers it to Xiao, dipping his head a little. “Please, as my friend. Make sure that she is okay. I'll bring her brother here tomorrow and I'll pay you to keep them here just until things have calmed down in the capital.”

Xiao pushes back the bag of money and shakes his head. “You needn't pay me, your majesty. They can stay here. What’s been happening in Adelyi? Some travellers told me yesterday that King Huang is preparing for an attack at this moment.”

“He’s not,” you say. Your words are understood by the two men and they both turn to you with wide eyes that show fear. You reach for Yixing’s sword, and for some reason the Prince does not react and just lets you slowly bring it from the sheath on his belt. “His cousin was killed. By a sword, looking exactly like this. He thinks it was you.”

He should call the guards. Anyone with information like this must be some kind of traitor to either Muucar or Renami. But Yixing does not seem to worry. He stands there and observes you like you spout the gospel itself. “How do you know?”

"It is said that if you go to Areim you can find your way to an exact copy of any of the royal swords from Daohrjin that you wish," you answer. The Prince would get angry at such a remark but he stays still once more. 

“Is this true?” Xiao asks. He does not want to overstep his boundary but he fears for the Princes trust in someone who spoke an ancient tongue. You had no birth place, you couldn't even give a name. “If he thinks that you've killed his cousin then a war would be expected, would it not? Why wouldn't he be trying to attack?”

You sink down to your knees effortlessly, the dress that covers your legs puffing around your as your skin hits the floor. From a hidden pocket you pull a piece of chalk from the cliffs of a far land, and draw it across the floor in two crooked lines. Xiao recognises it as the sea between Muucar and Renami. “There are spies between your lands. They're waiting for you to leave this place by sea and this King Huang you speak of will come for you. His son believes that you are innocent.”

Yixing observes the spots you had marked on the makeshift map. He usually thought so similarly to Xiao but he trusts you with this. He could not find an answer to why you knew this but he believed it was true. Oh Sehun had found his way to King somehow and proved that not all people who grew up in the royal family were fit to be King. 

He was a King for the people, not doubt. He cared for the people of Areim but despised of the Southern lands and only ever worked in favour of himself. The only one that ever benefitted from his actions was himself, and possibly his closest friends Jongin, Kyungsoo and Lu Han. The Northern Foursome were not something that the rest of Daohrjin deemed unpredictable and a force to be reckoned with. They didn't go to war individually, so if you had a problem with Sehun you had a problem with the other three that he had called his brothers on too many occasions.

“It would make sense,” Yixing says. “Prince Huang knows what I fight like. He's seen my style, and he'd also know that I wouldn't go back on my word for leaving him alone. We have our differences but that can wait.”

He looks down at you, and you’re just watching him intently. He offers a slight smile, one which is brighter than he gives most and the automatic response is for you to dip your head. You turn your body, moving your knees to face him and places your hands flat on the group in decree. “Zhang Yixing, _Zen sol Muucar_ , I have told you this to help you. I ask for help in return.”

Zhang Yixing himself stands still, frowning at your change in attitude. Xiao takes the moment to assess the scars that he can see through the thin back of your dress, but the Prince only crouches down. He wants to be on your level and when he is, you looks up to him with a pale, fragile face that Yixing wants to touch. He has the right to – he's the future _King_ of Muucar – but he can't find the privilege. “With what would you like help?”

“There is a task. _Zenahya jvida_ ,” you tell him. Yixing raises an eyebrow. _From Zenahya?_ Yixing’s senses must be failing him now. He can't believe his own thoughts to what’s happening and what you are saying. When he realises you are silent, he brushes a single piece of your hair from your eyes to feel your skin. You are burning, but it's enticing. He can't take his eyes off you. “Enlighten, Prince Yixing. Please. You have to help us all.”

*~*~*~*  

 

Yixing is stood to his father's side, the King himself sitting on the throne with a slightly hunched back due to the fact he was spending so much time coughing until his chest hurt. A lung disease was Yixing’s calculations but the doctor said it was something to do with the smoke that the King inhaled whilst sleeping. They said the narcissus he burnt in his room was bad for him, but the King still Carrie out his nightly ritual to Zenahya. 

A man has come from Renami has come from one King to another, formally to be read and reflected upon with regret. Yixing knew what this was about, he had been warned. King Huang’s cousin had been killed and Yixing was being set up for it, but the King knew his son was innocent because the Prince had been with him for the majority of the time. He only left to make sure that the prison was in order and his men were not fighting each other in the barracks. 

“My son is innocent,” the King proclaims. He does not turn his head away from the man who’s legs are surely shaking from the wrath of a King before him. “You, there is no way that I will let you return to Renami. You'll be lucky if you don't have your head decapitated for an act of treason against the Prince! Take him to the chains, leave him to be dealt with by the public for ridiculing the family who have protected this country since the beginning of time!”

Yixing places a hand on his father’s shoulder, attracting the King’s attention which is far from focused. Yixing has heard that Wu Yifan has been trying to call a conference for all Kings so that he can show his gratitude for their support – or, more likely, tell them all to submit to him for once and all. Wu Yifan wishes to make the entirety of Daohrjin one state with 11 Earls instead of 12 Kings or Queens. So a false accusation was the last thing on his plate. “Father, I don't think it's best that we put him on the streets.”

“I won't let someone convicted for treason against the Prince of Muucar walk free again,” King Zhang states. He looks to Yixing with fire in his eyes and glares at his son for suggesting such a thing. Whereas the people saw Yixing as a menace sometimes the King believed that Yixing was too weak. 

“I'm not saying that we let him go free. If he's in public the people will ask what’s wrong, and there's a chance the might believe him, especially around here,” Yixing answers, keeping his hands firmly behind his back. He fears that his father might not believe a word he says when he finds out that a Yixing is hiding a girl and boy in Xiao’s surgery because he wants to _help_ you. “Huang is smart. He would know that if the letter didn't destroy my reputation then a public riot to remove my power would most definitely do it. He knows how the people work around here.”

The King groans in annoyance because he knows that Yixing is right. If anyone knew the plans of others then it certainly was either Zhang Yixing or Huang Zitao. King Zhang didn't quite understand how his son and Prince Zitao weren't best friends like Oh Sehun and Kim Jongin. “Did you know that this was coming?”

“I was warned that there are spies in the waters between here and Renami. It was a wise guess to what they were here for,” Yixing tells his father. He decides to the keep you secret for longer now, thinking that his father wouldn't want the two of you seeing each other. 

The King would especially not be happy to find out that Yixing was leaving the keep in Adelyi to see a girl who was from far away. But he still finds himself riding back to Xiao’s in an effort to see you before it gets too dark. It's been a few days since he'd last seen you and he wasn't sure if anything had changed; you could remember where you were from and what your name was now, if he was lucky. 

“Ah, Prince Yixing!” Xiao calls when he sees the Prince leading his horse to the fence outside his residence. Yixing ties his horse to the wood, then looks to Xiao who was harvesting some herbs in the front of the surgery. “The two are out the back, tending to my plants. Can we speak before you see her, though?”

Yixing nods once. You haven’t seen him with this uniform since when he walked into your interrogation room and Yixing fears that it might make him seem less approachable in demeanour. But he does not understand why he cares so much, anyway. “What's the problem, Doctor?”

“Where did you say she was from?” Xiao asks. 

“No name was specifically given,” Yixing answers, honestly. He bites down on his lip and hums. “I asked her when we first met of where she was from. She didn't tell me anything but far away. That's all I could get out of her.”

Xiao sighs. He turns back to the basket he'd been placing his herbs in and pulls out a book that looked tattered beyond repair. He hands it to Yixing with a bow and lets the Prince take it. “That was my father's. He was devout to learning Rahinyo but his age got the better of him. He kept this with him, it seemed as though he was keeping a dictionary of what he could translate. Back in the days where only Rah walked Daohrjin, when Zenphyro was still as mortal as we, they would call the home of Zenahya _Dalika_. It translates to far away in terms of living – _dal_ being home and _ika_ being far.”

 _“Da_ _lika_ means heaven,” Yixing states. He flicks through the pages of the journal and takes in the detail that was written on each page. Scribbled, to effect – the dedication on man had on the subject was like no other. 

“He wished to communicate with the Rah before us. He used to tell me about prophecies and I believe that one may be coming true.” Yixing looks to Xiao with curious eyes. He's heard of prophecies from the same time, like the ones that said the Zhang family would rule Muucar until the pantheon fell. An urge is given from Yixing for the doctor to continue. “There was one which said Zenahya would send her child down in the times where trouble was erupting. The entire state of Daohrjin would be in chaos and there was one who could stop it. But, she would not do it alone.”

Yixing looks to his left, the image of you catching his eyes in the moment. He does not know what to say or do, he knows this all links somehow. Help. You wanted _help_. For _us_. “Can I keep this, doctor?”

Prince Yixing is given permission to keep the book, and he wastes no time in finding you so he can communicate with you fully now. Prophecy, it was the first word in there – _Zu_ _ca_ _ar._ It almost seemed like he was meant to see this, to save you and help you for the means of said prophecy. 

He makes his way to you with bounces in his step. Yixing knows that he is attracted to you, he finds everything about you completely desirable. The way your hair falls and how your features are exclusive to you and you alone. You do not follow the conventions of the normal beauty standards and it appeals to him because you are so different. You are just… like him. One that others do not understand. 

“May I ask you something?” Yixing says. He approaches you from behind and let's his unstyled hair fall over one of his eyes, seeming much softer in his nature. 

When you turn, Yixing feels the sun shine brighter on him. The boy, Iziah, looks to them both to see the brief interaction and then begins to walk away to leave you both alone. It seemed the boy knew his place next to Price Zhang and learned that he had priority. Yixing was not sure if he liked using his authority that way. “ _De_ , Prince Yixing. Please do.”

“You say that you are from far away?”

" _Dalika_ , Prince Yixing.”

Yixing nods once. He takes note of the way you address him so formally and deems it unnecessary. They are equal. “I would prefer if you called me by my name, not my title. Yixing is okay. Can I use your name?”

“My name?” You ask. You frown and Yixing and rests a hand on your hip. “I must admit to you, Yixing, that where I am from we do not use names. I've never been given one. My purpose was not to have a name, alas I would only be called by my brother and he called me sister. That is all.”

“Would you mind if I gave you a name?” Yixing asks you; his voice is soft as to not try to give his authority away in tone. He does not want to make you feel like you _must_ do as he says – he would rather make you want to do it. A smile falls on his lips when you nod at his question, your own lips’ corners bent upwards at the sides. Yixing thinks for a moment, humming in thought until he finds the perfect name – in his opinion, anyway. 

“I shall call you (y/n).”

You, the newly named girl, pause for a second and looks up to him, head cocked slightly to the side. “Where does that name come from?”

“(y/n) comes from old writing here in Muucar. All of the princes must study the scripture about previous kings to stand chance of being crowned a King too. She was a lady who married the King in Zenphyro’s time and was seen to be the greatest queen that Muucar has ever had.”

“Would that not be blasphemous then?” You ask. 

The more Yixing thinks about it, the more he believes _Dalika_ is your home. He does not have the strength to ask you about it because it's a sensitive topic that you might hate him for bringing forth. What if he wasn't even meant to know you were… That you were _Zenmua_. A holy one. “Why would it be blasphemy?” 

“Because she was a queen. When the royal family die they would either be going to reside in hell or in the heavens. If you was the greatest then she would be in the heavens. Thus, a god. Am I wrong? Do you not believe this anymore, here in Muucar?”

“I believe that is true, yes,” Yixing answers. He notices the way your jaw relaxes when he answers you, probably in the way you wanted him to. But he can't stop himself from disappointing you with more words. “Here in Muucar, more people are turning away from religion. The people on the mainland seem to believe the King is the God that looks over them, not Zenahya and Zenphyro. They think that we should be the same; they do not want me to be King because of my beliefs and my faith. The majority of religious people left are those who dedicate cults to Minyurta.”

You look down to the ground, but Yixing finds himself taking a step closer to you and using the tips of his fingers to pull up your chin to see your beautiful face again. He sighs, noticing your disheartened eyes that lack the colour and sparkle they usually manifested. Yet still you find the means to speak, and it's Zhang Yixing felt like it was déjà vu; the way you spoke. “You have to change that, Prince Yixing.”

“I told you, please call me Yixing.”

“This is not words from me, so I will not address you as though it is me,” you answer. Yixing’s brows are pulled together at what you says to him. _Zucaar_ … He tries to remember a prophecy from his school days. He felt like he'd experienced this before, like he knew exactly what you were going to say to him. “Remember, Prince Yixing. A task. _Zenahya jvida._ Change the way the people see the pantheon. Make them have faith once more.”

*~*~*~* 

Prince Yixing is the one who watches as the leader of a cult, dressed in black and red with his face painted white and green, falls to the floor with a thud. His lips twitch at the unholy noise the man makes when he realises he’s not dead, so will be forced to live in solitude for the rest of his life as to reflect on his crimes against Zenahya. 

Every night the Prince would sit in his room and read the old scriptures. He was sure that he knew each one by heart now, he could name each place in the world and Yixing most definitely could understand Rahinyo a little better now. Nowhere near fluent, of course, but the understanding was there and he could reflect upon things his girl had said. 

“Don't destroy the altar,” Yixing commands. His men that had accompanied him to destroy the land were soon scattered, responding to his orders with a simple ‘ _yes sir_ ’ before beginning their return to Adelyi with the new prisoners. 

He remembers a verse that stated Minyurta was a god in his time, before he was banished from the underworld for all his wrong doing in the world. Zhang Yixing must respect the things in this world that are above his power. He must not act like he is greater than a god; albeit the dead-god or the mother goddess of this world. 

He finds himself left alone, wandering through the natural elements and pushing the skeleton branches from trees out of his way so he can approach the altar itself. It's made on a tree stump with runes carved into it, stones that seemed to be chiselled by the group itself laid around the wood with knives that could only have come from the bottom of the mines in Neinrya.

A simple gem is picked up by Yixing. He holds it to the sky and twists it in the sun to see the reflections through the barely transparent stone. The blue of the Lapis Lazuli leaves Yixing with questions that he might never get answered. The stone was said to be an ancient remedy for pains contained to the head. He wasn't sure why that would be here.

“They use Lapis Lazuli to communicate with the celestial plane, Prince Yixing.”

“(y/n)?” Yixing calls immediately upon hearing your voice. He turns to his left, catching your blurry figure that stands clear in front of the mist that settled over the moors. “It's been too cold recently. You should stay with Xiao, not out here wandering with nothing to keep you warm. You might get sick.”

You do not answer, instead trudging through the thick plants and aiming straight for your Prince. He stands insanely still, not daring to even breathe too hard in case he makes any sudden moves. “ _Coi_ _denyui._ Thank you for not destroying this, Prince Yixing. Altars for Minyurta can be used to reach any and all. _Zenahya ei_ _Zenphyro_.”

“I'm fulfilling my promise to you, (y/n). I don't need a thank you from anyone.”

“Well, may I give you some advice instead?” You ask. 

Yixing does not think about his answer, he just nods boldly and alerts you of his trust for what you do for him. If you were lethal like everyone believed, you would have killed him by now. There was an obsidian black altar knife a few inches from him that could easily be stabbed through his chest, yet here they are. He's very much breathing and you are making his heart beat like he's never been near a woman before. 

You reach your hand to his own, delicately taking the blue stone from his grasp. He allows you with ease, his eyes focusing on the way you daintily hold the stone with your index finger and thumb, drawing it nearer to his head. 

You draw an arrow pointing upwards on Yixing’s forehead with the stone, then two dots in the middle and a curved line beneath the arrow to finish it off. He does not question your doing and instead watches your eyes closely. Not once do you look away from his eyes, at least not until you looks down to the metal covering his chest and the belt around his hips with pouches for things like this. 

“Lapis Lazuli can also help with openness and spiritual healing, Yixing. A blessed stone like so will protect you from negative energy and help ward off spiritual attacks. You should keep it with you, it will help you.”

Yixing hums softly, keeping a close eye as the stone is placed in his right pouch with your soft touch. “Why this one and not any of the others?”

“Because of them all, you only picked this one. A thief would take more and a fool would swap it for another. But you, Yixing, are truth. It is the reason that I believe in you.”

Prince Yixing’s heart is pounding in his chest. He's heard that _we believe in you_ but never that she, his own (y/n) believes in him. He feels honoured. Treasured, even. Like he means something. The lid on his feelings is being blown off by the storm that is _you_ _._ “May I kiss you, (y/n)?”

“Kiss…me?” You ask. Yixing swallows hard at your answer, rejection beginning to fill his heart as you stare at him with shining, curious eyes. “Yixing, I must ask more help of you. What is a kiss?”

“It's a way of showing your affection for someone. To kiss someone, in my eyes, is the way you can tell someone that you are completely devoted to them,” Yixing answers systematically. He speaks as though it's a verse recited from the walls of the temples in Xocya, but instead it's from a poem that Prince Junmyeon of Haveghem wrote in school. They might not have been friends but the boy could express his emotions better than any other in words. 

You, before him, look to the Prince silently. Your feet take an innocent step forward, one hand diligently placed on Yixing’s shoulder as you reach up to his face on the tips of your toes. He thinks this to be a dream, but Zhang Yixing’s heart stops the second your soft lips touch his. Just a soft touch, one that is as pure as the driven snow but fires the Prince on the inside as his soul begs for more. 

You pull away after a few seconds, eyes flickering to his. Yixing does not waste his efforts and places his cold hands on your cheeks, the cold fingertips caressing your warm skin that blushes red as his lips capture your own in the moment. 

He can taste strawberries from Jhusai on your lips and he can smell the sweet berries of Yeinah surrounding them as though Zenahya has given your own blessing for this to happen. It seems right to him; it’s his _Devine_ right to be here doing this with your right now. 

Yixing's fingers cup your cheeks carefully, his body warm from the encounter he believe he could only dream about before today. As he pulls back, fully pledged to you before him, he uses his thumb to nurse your lips that are lightly red from the action. This is you to whom he belongs. He does not doubt this whatsoever. 

“You are good at kissing, Yixing. I'm thankful that you were the first person that has kissed me,” you comment. The vibration of your voice on his thumb has the boy surely swooning for you. 

He knows why he's so good at kissing her; he has so much affection for you. 

*~*~*~* 

The moon shines down on every one of Yixing’s men. They line before him, each dowsed in the armour of the greatest armour each could be given. They are loyal, most definitely, and each one presents value beyond no other to Prince Yixing and his future monarchy. 

To his left stands a girl. _You_ \- that the hushed whispers spoke  - whom occupied Yixing’s thoughts. Supposedly a girl who came from the moon’s light itself, but also called a witch from another land forcing the people of Muucar back into a state they did not want to be in. You, the one people either treasured or despised, were perfect for Zhang Yixing. 

After they exchange a glance, Yixing pulls away from the smile on his lips and composes body language once more. A hand is rested on his hip, body stood tall on the raised platform to show his authority. He is Prince Yixing of Muucar, commander of the Royal Army. He will be respected in this country. 

“Tonight is the day of the fifth moon – the willow moon,” Yixing speaks. He feels the light of his girl’s smile shine all over him. You are proud of him, that's all that Prince Yixing believes he needs. “Many members of the cults dedicated to Minyurta will be practicing tonight, in honour of his attack against the mother Goddess and your chosen one. They will wish to recreate this night, to fight anyone who belongs to the Goddess. Be weary, men. Fight for the mother true and stay strong. For your mothers, wives, sisters and daughters.”

The men begin to lead out one by one, already informed by their positions tonight. It would be disastrous like always, this night. Last year the walls to the keep were smashed and four prisoners arrested for cult activities were helped to escape from prison. Something about the willow moon changed the men and women of Muucar. 

Many years ago, before the time that any of Yixing’s relatives which he could recall, the god Minyurta refused to accept the greatest fighter in the whole of Daohrjin into the pantheon. Zenahya wanted him to be honoured as a God, and the dead god retaliated by sending his army of the dead to kill the once mortal Phyro. Many worshippers of Minyurta would repeat this practice by impeaching anyone who worshiped the Gods still. This, of course, included the monarchy of Muucar. 

“Will you be walking me back to Xiao’s surgery?” You ask. Yixing observes the disapproving looks of citizens who came to see the sending off of the army, but shrugs it off as he turns back to you. 

“I think that tonight it would be safer if you stayed in the keep, with me. Surgeries like Xiao’s are often deemed holders of faithful demons but the people of Muucar,” Yixing tells you. He offers you a hand which you take strongly, grasping it like he is the last light on a dimly lit path. “Of course that is if you wouldn't mind. If you wish, I will return with you to Xiao’s and watch over you until sunrise.”

You only shake your head, leaning your body closer to Yixing’s as they begin to take the steps towards the Keep. You is never been in here and you is positively worried to what she'll find – Yixing had heard your ramblings about the King many a time. “You have to be here in Adelyi tonight. It's okay. I will follow you wherever you go as a thank you for everything that you've done. For me, and for us all. But also because of the affection that I have for you.”

The two of you walk together through the halls of the Keep, the passing guards and maids bowing their heads to Prince Yixing and the lady which he brings with him. The Prince himself takes no notice of the people they pass through, though – the giddy feeling in his chest has consumed him, much to the point where he can only focus on one thing. 

He leads you to his own chambers, and the second your eyes meet the room that surrounds them you gasps in shock. There are stones from every mountain in Neinrya, pictures from the finest painters in Syuvisa and even the most delicate and beautiful of instruments imported from Haveghem. It's a haven, a place filled with books left, right and centre that have made Yixing who he is today. 

But the one who changed him the most is standing right next to him, and now you will become a part of the life around him, too. 

“These are beautiful,” you say. Your hands climb over the paintings brush strokes, tips brushing the frames that must have taken four men to lift them. 

"As are you,” Yixing answers her, taking a few steps in your direction and settling a foot from you. His hand creeps to your shoulder and he rests it there, idly stroking the skin that is exposed through your light purple dress that matches with his own deep purple leavings. “But along with their beauty, I would acquire something off of its sentimental value, or what it is worth to me behind its appearance. That is why you are the only woman that has and ever will be in here.”

You turn to Yixing with an absent looking face. He knows himself that you are especially new to the relationship side of things – he very curiously looks over the first time that they kissed when he’s trying to cheer himself up from the boring antics of everyday life in his position. The more he thinks of it, the more he sees you as his own and as someone that he _needs_ in his life. 

You kiss him again, resting your lips on his own as you creep up on the balls of your feet so that you can be level. His hand sinks down to the small of your back, holding you close to him and feeling the way your body warms against his own and makes him feel _complete_. He loves you. There is not a doubt in his bloodthirsty mind that he loves you right down to the bone. 

“You make me very happy, Yixing,” you mumble against his lips. He devours the sight of you so flustered from his kiss, eyeing your entire being as your words sink in. “Before you, happiness was seeing those around me smiling. Now my happiness is you. Being with you, talking with you. Just _you_.”

Yixing hums. He does not want to ruin the moment you are creating by slipping on his tongue and dulling the yellow atmosphere with unaffectionate words. Instead, he bows his head and moves his hand to your waist, thumb rolling circles on your dress clad skin. He’s a commander; he vows best with his actions. “Will you let me show you that I love you?”

“Love is a strong word, Zhang Yixing.”

“That is how strongly I feel for you, my love,” Yixing states. He brings his head back up, dark eyes meeting your own in the dim light that is set just for them. He smiles, pecking your lips so delicately that it is an act of bringing a rose back to life. “Let me show you that there is only one queen for me.”

Yixing is a man of his words. He waits for your timid nod, one that comes of fear from the unknown but also devotion to the man before you, too. The bed is your own soon, with you laying on it as though it was meant for you and Yixing hovering above you, placing his diaphanous kisses over your neck and collar bones whilst his hands start to rid your of the fabric that covers your body. A first for him and a first for you, you are both equal. 

“I will love you until forever, (y/n),” Yixing tells you. His fingers are loosely around the hem of the dress on you and he begins to bring it down your body, revealing the irreproachable body beneath. It’s beautiful, that’s all that he can say. No more words can come to mind apart from synonyms to perfection. 

But you have words for him, ones which he doesn’t take much notice of – at least, not as much more than a literal sense. “Forever is longer than you believe, Yixing.”

He has a plan on what he will do, and he will enact it. The time he spends riding you of the dress you spend just watching him with agog eyes that want to know all about him. Each scar, each mark, each hair on his body. Likewise from him to her, too. 

The point does come where they are both bare to one another, each looking with curiosity and love for one another that is unmatched. He wants you; he hopes that you know that it is not just a sexual attraction. He plans to show you in every way that he loves you, this way included. At the time where he promises you he’ll go slow, that he’ll pour every ounce of his soul into you, that is when he feels they are _meant_ to be.

He runs his cock across your slit, gathering some slick before he pushes himself inside of you, embracing the moans that come from your mouth and topple into his own. Kissing you was the only way that both of you would be able to keep quiet, and you knew this as well as Yixing did. Being caught in an act like this would not fair well for the pair, but you both no longer care for the others.

Pulling out slowly, Yixing doesn’t waste a moment to thrust back into you with more force than before. You ask him to, of course, telling him that it’s okay for him to do so. His thrusts remained paced as he pulls himself out until just his tip of his cock was left inside of you, then pushing himself back inside to give you as much pleasure as he could.

The sensation of your nails dragging down his shoulders was causing Yixing’s breathing to quicken, the pain not effecting him too much but the feeling of your skin on his keeping him going for longer. He was whispering in your ear, telling you how beautiful you were and how much he loved you whilst you were simply concentrating on not crying out his name for everyone in the keep to hear. Their relationship in some manner must be kept quiet. 

Feeling him hitting just the right spot has you crying out Yixing’s name again, his mouth slightly covering your own so the sounds he was now craving to hear were ending before anyone but him could hear. This was worth waiting. He can only thank Zenahya herself for allowing him to have you. He loved it when you cried his name and it left him moments away from moaning just like you were.

“Yixing, please,” you call in the moment that the Prince gives you to speak. Your voice is strained and cut off when Yixing locks mouths with you once more, thrusting one final time into you with the same power behind it as before. 

He feels your walls clench around him and soon after you are realising around him, listening to his heavy breathing which is stuttering as he pulls out of her, releasing his seed onto the bed beside the pair. He knows he will have to clean this himself and he curses himself for not being more prepared, but he cannot possibly think of that now. 

“My love,” he mumbles, looking over to your resting body that stares back down at him. Your teeth bite into your lip, gnawing at the skin in a way that has Yixing simply under your spell. He wishes to have one of the greatest painters of Daohrjin to delineate you like this, so he can remember it for the forever he plans to live. “You are my happiness, too. My everything.”

Zhang Yixing is a commander. He has worked his way up to the top by sheer force of will; hard work, perseverance and dedication. To his country, to his job and to his people, Zhang Yixing gives everything – apart from one thing. There is one person that will only have _him_ , and that person will have him forever. 


End file.
